Penn Law prof gets half-pay suspension for 'discriminatory and disparaging statements'

Professor Amy Wax has been suspended with half pay for one academic year due to her repeated discriminatory comments about various racial and social groups, highlighting ongoing tensions regarding academic freedom and social responsibility.

John L. Jackson Jr. stated that the conduct included a history of sweeping and derogatory generalizations about groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation, labeling it as 'flagrant unprofessional conduct.'

Despite significant punishments like a half-pay suspension and loss of her named chair, the sanctions were perceived by some as insufficient, reflecting a divide among students and faculty about the expectations for professors' public statements.

The New York Times referred to the sanctions imposed on Wax as significant, stating, 'it falls short of the firing that some students wanted,' further indicating the controversy surrounding her statements and the university's response.

Read at ABA Journal